In the name of "research," I left for the Eastern Hills.
Yup. That was the excuse I gave. Sounded academic. Sounded noble. Sounded like I had a purpose.
But between you and me? I wasn't chasing rock formations. I was chasing a ghost story.
More specifically—Amelia, the girl from that cursed old tale that everyone either whispered about or laughed off. I wasn't laughing. I believed it. I had to believe it. If Amelia became my ally, then maybe—just maybe—I could flip the entire fate of this book. Count? Karl? The Church? Even the author themself? Bring it on. If I had Amelia, I'd have power.
And I was so sick of being powerless.
The research camp was split up based on areas of interest: caves, dry flora, tectonic layers, blah blah. Everyone else picked their interest regions. Near the base. Marked on the map. With actual paths.
Me? I picked the Eastern Hills.
Dangerous terrain. Sudden landslides. Way too many caves. Rumors of disappearances. Mysterious noises. You get the idea.
When the professor asked me why, I gave a perfectly nerdy-sounding lie:
"I'm fascinated by untouched geological formations and the unique high-altitude biodiversity found in cave ecosystems, sir."
He blinked. I'm pretty sure I fried his brain a little. But hey, it worked. He looked half-convinced, maybe even proud, then reluctantly assigned two guards to tag along. Probably so he wouldn't get sued if I vanished.
So, off I went. For fifteen days I explored caves that looked like they hadn't seen sunlight since the dawn of time. Everything was dry. So dry that even cacti would've packed up and left. The rocks crumbled if you stared too hard. The air was thin. No birds. No bugs. Just endless silence. I did find some weird mineral formations and scribbled down enough stuff to make it look like I was doing proper research.
But no cursed girl.
No Amelia.
No sign of life, even.
Day 20 hit, and everyone at camp was preparing for reports and discussion sessions. We had just five days left before packing up and heading back to civilization. The guards were already dreaming of home. I was panicking.
Then I spotted it.
A cave. Higher than the rest. Half-hidden in the cliffs like it didn't want to be found. Narrow path. No trails. Steep rocks. Probably lethal.
Naturally, I wanted in.
I asked the professor. He didn't even let me finish.
"Absolutely not. It's too risky. No climbing that path. That terrain is unstable, and it's not worth it."
So… I went anyway.
I KNOW. Dumb. So dumb. I had no backup. No permission. No real plan. But I was desperate. Like full-on, irrational, I'll-do-anything desperate. The kind of desperate that makes you whisper deals to the dark.
That night, I packed a tiny bag. Lantern. Pocketknife. Rope. Snacks. That's it. And I snuck out while the camp slept.
The wind was brutal. The climb even worse. I slipped twice. My lantern almost fell. The rain hit halfway up, coming down in thick sheets like the sky was angry. I reached the cave drenched, shivering, and already regretting all my life choices.
I rushed inside. My boots squelched with every step. I tried to shield the flame, but it sputtered and died.
Now I was wet, cold, and surrounded by darkness.
Still, I went in. I had to. Something pulled me. Not just curiosity—something else. The rain was tilted sideways, actually slanting into the cave entrance. I backed away from it, further inside the cave, until it was pitch-black.
I felt the walls with my hands. Jagged. Damp. Slimy in parts. Something skittered past my boot, but I didn't scream. I couldn't. I needed to be brave. Just a little longer.
Then I touched something… cold.
Metal.
Chains.
I followed them with trembling fingers. They led to a shape. Human-sized. Solid. Not warm.
A lock.
Right over where a heart would be.
I touched it.
The moment my hand made contact, I felt it. A tug. A horrible draining sensation, like something inside me was being vacuumed out. My knees buckled. My fingers burned. I tried to scream, but even my voice was heavy.
And then—
A flash of lightning.
One terrifying second.
And I saw her.
Amelia.
Black hair that shimmered like ink. Ocean-blue eyes that cut like ice. She didn't smile. She didn't speak. She just looked. Straight through me.
Then everything went black.
I woke up at the cave's entrance. Somehow. My body ached like I'd been thrown down a mountain. I was still soaked. Still freezing. The sun was up outside, but the cave behind me remained dark—too dark. Like it didn't want the light inside. Like it had secrets it refused to share.
Maybe it was a dream. A hallucination. But then I felt it.
The stare.
The death stare.
I turned my head.
There she was.
A girl in tattered rags. Pale skin. Bare feet. Hair matted with rain. Standing farther inside the cave. Watching me.
"…Amelia?" I said, barely a whisper.
She started harder, as if I touched some wrong nerve.
My heart dropped.
This was bad. I had come here thinking I'd find some tragic soul I could reason with. Maybe even make a deal. Team up. But this? This wasn't a girl. This was something else.
According to legends,she wanted power. Money. Influence. The kind of things I didn't have and couldn't fake.
She stepped forward. Her eyes never blinked.
My body screamed run. My legs didn't move.
And then—her hand was at my throat.
Ice cold.
She squeezed.
I gasped. Feet off the ground. My vision blurred. My lungs screamed. My body kicked and flailed, but her grip was like iron. I clawed at her wrist. I tried to speak, but there was no room for air, let alone words.
I was going to die.
Not in a blaze of glory. Not saving anyone. Not even remembered.
Just strangled in a cave by a ghost girl I was dumb enough to wake up.
And yet—through the pain, the panic, and the blur—I was still breathing.
Barely.
It was like death hovered inches away, smiling patiently.